Three Card Monte: Book Two of the Martian Alliance Chronicles

By Gini Koch

When their favorite bookie pulls up stakes from Roulette and moves to Polliworld, the crew of the Hummingbird go to find out why, and hopefully get a cut of the action, but they end up caught in a high stakes game of chance that could destroy them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gini Koch
• Release date: Aug 18, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311879677

Gini Koch

Gini Koch writes the fast, fresh and funny Alien/Katherine “Kitty” Katt series for DAW Books, the Necropolis Enforcement Files series, and the Martian Alliance Chronicles series. Touched by an Alien, Book 1 in the Alien series, was named by Booklist as one of the Top Ten Adult SF/F novels of 2010. Alien in the House, Book 7 in her long-running Alien series, won the RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Award as the Best Futuristic Romance of 2013.As G.J. Koch she writes the Alexander Outland series and she’s made the most of multiple personality disorder by writing under a variety of other pen names as well, including Anita Ensal, Jemma Chase, A.E. Stanton, and J.C. Koch.Gini also has stories featured in a variety of anthologies, including the Unidentified Funny Objects 3, Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens, and Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets anthologies, writing as Anita Ensal, in The Book of Exodi, Love and Rockets, and Boondocks Fantasy anthologies, and, writing as J.C. Koch, in Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters, The Madness of Cthulhu, Vol. 1, and A Darke Phantastique anthologies, and, coming in 2016, The Mammoth Book of Kaiju. Gini will also be featured in the first book in an X-Files anthology series, X-Files: Trust No One, as well as in the Temporally Out of Order, Timeless Tales, MECH: Age of Steel, Unidentified Funny Objects 4, and Out of Tune 2 anthologies, all coming in 2015.All the ways to reach Gini:Website - http://www.ginikoch.com/The Blah, Blah, Blah Blog - http://ginikoch.blogspot.com/Twitter - @GiniKochFacebook - facebook.com/Gini.KochFacebook Fan Page: Hairspray & Rock ‘n’ Roll – https://www.facebook.com/GiniKochAuthorPinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/ginikoch/The Official Fan Site of the Alien Collective - http://thealiencollectivevirtualhq.blogspot.com/E-mail - [e-mail]

Book preview

Praise for Three Card Monte

Gini Koch manages to deliver a fun story full of action, deception and misdirection.

Pearls Cast Before a McPig

This series is just fun, and perfect for when you want to read something in one sitting.

A Buckeye Girl Reads

The plot was exciting and kept me reading.

Mixed Book Bag

It is a fast paced story, with intergalactical intrigue, and I am looking forward to the next story.

boeklogboek

Also by Gini Koch:

The Alien/Katherine Kitty Katt Series

TOUCHED BY AN ALIEN

ALIEN TANGO

ALIEN IN THE FAMILY

ALIEN PROLIFERATION

ALIEN DIPLOMACY

ALIEN VS. ALIEN

ALIEN IN THE HOUSE

ALIEN RESEARCH

ALIEN COLLECTIVE

UNIVERSAL ALIEN

ALIEN SEPARATION

ALIEN IN CHIEF (coming December 2015)

CAMP ALIEN (coming May 2016)

ALIEN NATION (coming December 2016)

ALIENS ABROAD (coming May 2017)

The Necropolis Enforcement Files Series

THE NIGHT BEAT

NIGHT MUSIC (coming 2016)

The Martian Alliance Chronicles Series

THE ROYAL SCAM

THREE CARD MONTE

A BUG’S LIFE (coming 2015)

RANDOM MUSINGS FROM THE FUNNY GIRL

THE HAPPY ACRES HAUNTED HOTEL FOR ACTIVE SENIORS

Anthologies

CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE: STEAMPUNK VS. ALIENS –

A Clockwork Alien

TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONE BAKER STREETS –

All The Single Ladies

UNIDENTIFIED FUNNY OBJECTS 3 – Live at the Scene

TEMPORALLY OUT OF ORDER – Alien Time Warp

THE X-FILES: TRUST NO ONE – Sewers

UNIDENTIFIED FUNNY OBJECTS 4 – Support Your Local Alien (coming 2015)

OUT OF TUNE 2 – Red River Valley (coming 2016)

Three Card Monte

Book 2 of the Martian Alliance Chronicles

GINI KOCH

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents, and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Three Card Monte

Published by Gini Koch at Smashwords

Copyright 2012, 2015 Jeanne Cook

First published by Musa Publishing October 2012

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or any portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, contact the author: [e-mail].

The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the internet or via other means without the express written permission of the author is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic and print editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Editors: Mary Fiore and Veronica Cook

Cover Artist: Lisa Dovichi

Second Edition

ISBN: 978-1-31187-9677

Gini Koch

http://www.ginikoch.com

Dedication

To the fans who told me they bought an e-reader or

got e-reading software on their computers

just to be able to read this series,

I have but one thing to say:

You all ROCK and this one’s for you!

Acknowledgments

Shout outs for being wonderful as always to my awesome agent, Cherry Weiner, and my crit partner extraordinaire, Lisa Dovichi. (Yes, I just copy and paste this line into the acknowledgements for every book, ’cause why mess with what’s working?) And grateful thanks to Colette Chmiel and Joseph Gaxiola who daily do what they can to keep my sanity intact—it’s a losing battle, but they’re valiant in the fight.

Special thanks and all my love to my husband, Steve, and daughter, Veronica, who haven’t even mentioned how one of my eyes twitches automatically at the phrase deadline looming and who still manage to ensure there is tequila close at hand whenever said phrase comes up.

Finally, to all my fans and all of those who embraced The Royal Scam and the crew of the Hummingbird—the Martian Alliance and I thank you for your support.

Interesting news from Roulette, Dr. Wufren shared with us, his watery blue eyes twinkling, as we all sat down to dinner.

And from Polliworld, Bullfrog added, as he grabbed his plate from one of Tresia’s pincers.

Is this paying news or just gossip? Roy asked.

Doven’s feathers ruffled. Why does the news need to be paying? Don’t we still have plenty left over from our last job?

Our last job had been a complicated con for the Andromeda Royal Family. As far as I knew, we still had plenty left over.

Everyone looked expectantly at Roy. He grimaced. You know, we’re not just supporting ourselves. We’re helping to run an underground resistance.

Kyle rolled his eyes. Here it comes, DeeDee, he said to me in a stage whisper. The ‘Martian Alliance Speech’ again.

Roy gave his little brother a dirty look. You, of all people, should care.

I patted Roy’s knee. It’s okay, oh captain, my captain. We’re all one with the cause.

The others all nodded or murmured their assent, most with their mouths full. We were all focused on restoring the galaxy to what it had been before the Diamante Families had taken over, but empty stomachs were a more immediate need.

Bullfrog grinned, always unnerving because giant walking toads having lots of teeth made most of the other humanoid races nervous. Long tongues were one thing – teeth like any other carnivore in the galaxy were another. I think the news might be both.

Both what? Roy asked. He was really testy. I had no idea why. I ran through possibilities: he and I hadn’t had a fight, Kyle hadn’t done anything foolhardy, no one we liked had recently been listed as dead, maimed or incarcerated, and there were no Diamante cruisers anywhere in sight.

Sure, we were in the middle of nowhere, space-wise. We’d learned a long time ago to take our time between big jobs. Maybe it was boredom.

Both gossip and potentially paying, Bullfrog replied.

Dr. Wufren nodded. But we can wait until after dinner to share.

No, go ahead. Roy sounded resigned.

I checked everyone else out. No one else appeared upset. Until I looked at Doven. Because he was a Quillian, and so half-man/half-bird, it was hard to tell when he was emotional unless his feathers were ruffled. And ruffled they still were. Just a bit, and he flattened them when he caught me looking at him.

So Roy and Doven were fighting? This was unusual to say the least. However, Dr. Wufren’s next words moved the Roy and Doven issue down to second place for my attention.

Monte the Leech has sold part interest in the Palace and is personally opening a new casino on Polliworld.

It was hard to turn the crew of the Hummingbird speechless, but this news did the trick. We all stared, open-mouthed, at the good doctor—except Bullfrog and Dr. Wufren himself, both of whom looked smug about having been the ones to break this galaxy-shaking news.

Roy recovered fastest. Why?

You want the official reason or the real one? Bullfrog asked.

Both.

Per the press releases, Dr. Wufren said, Monte’s done so well with the Palace on Roulette that he wants to expand and bring the excitement of live gambling to the world that likes it best.

That sounds reasonable, Tresia said. He could open one on Arachnius, too. I believe we’re second in terms of overall planetary adoration of games of chance.

Bullfrog snorted. The doc left out a key piece of information. Two, really.

Which were? I asked.

Ciarissa smiled at Dr. Wufren. You do like to make a statement, don’t you Fren?

When I can, my dearest. When I can. As our noble Bullfrog has pointed out, the press reports are avoiding two key pieces of information. First: Monte sold that part ownership of the Palace to the Diamante Families.